Posts Tagged ‘UNL Film Studies’

As this story by Leslie Reed of the UNL News Service notes, “Brugger’s first work as a director, a seven-minute film called ‘The Pursuit of Happiness,’ was among those screened at the international film festival. It was one of two films directed by UNL film studies students at the annual film festival. Collin Baker’s eight-minute film, ‘Over Forgotten Roads,’ also screened. Brugger and Baker are the first two UNL students to have a film screened at Cannes. Several thousands of short films are submitted each year for consideration by the festival; Brugger’s was one of 31 selected for screening through the American Pavilion, the center of activity for the American film community at Cannes. UNL’s Wheeler Winston Dixon, professor of film studies and English, described the Cannes selection of Brugger’s film as a ‘distinct honor.’”

On her way back to the States, Aliza filed this report – “coming from Lincoln, Nebraska and having never been in Europe, let alone Southern France, entering the city of Cannes was quite a shock. It is a beautiful city. Much like Southern California, it’s engulfed by palm trees, aqua blue water and gorgeous weather. Also much like Southern California, Cannes is engulfed by the film business.

Plastered all over the shops and walls of Cannes were advertisements for the festival and the films showing. Needless to say, as a Film Studies student, I was elated. Not only was I going to get to watch a plethora of films, but my first short film as a director was also going to be screening at the festival. I was certain it was going to be an amazing two weeks.

There were so many things I learned, and so many people I met. I met many filmmakers who were genuinely passionate about the art of film, like myself. I was able to make real and probably much longer lasting connections with my own peers. Throughout the program our mentors repeatedly told us that these are the connections that matter, and by the end of the festival I realized it to be true.

I was able to meet several young filmmakers who are also pursuing their dreams, which has given me a real sense of community. I also met many of the other interns’ mentors who were familiar with jobs and internships where I would fit in quite well, so now I have whole set of new connections. The doors are now wide open!

Some really beautiful films that I watched during the festival included Timbuktu, Lost River, Goodbye to Language, Charlie’s Country, and Finding Eleanor Rigby. The screening of my own film, The Pursuit of Happiness, really went quite well. Almost 50 people saw it, and I received a really great response from the audience, who thought it was an interesting and innovative way to tell a story, which obviously made me quite proud.

I can’t express enough how glad I am that I attended this festival. I learned so much about the business, and about how it works. More than anything, it has given me a lot to think about regarding where I want to be in the world of film, and I look forward to making new contacts, and creating new projects.”

I agree with the awards, for what it’s worth – this seems to have been a lively and exciting festival, though how these films will do in the rapidly shrinking commercial marketplace is another question altogether – but we can hope. It’s nice to see Godard win something at last; nice also to see Bennett Miller, Julianne Moore and Timothy Spall emerge as victors; this year’s festival seemed to look both to the past – with Godard – and to the future, with Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Winter Sleep and Xavier Dolan’s Mommy.

We’re also going to be represented at Cannes next year, as the American Pavilion was very happy with the work of our students, and they’ve already contacted us again for the next edition of the festival. Needless to say, for our students in Film Studies, this was a real opportunity, and one which we hope will continue. Thanks to Kelly Payne, our chief adviser in Film Studies, for setting this up – much appreciated. It’s one more step towards international visibility.

As this news story by Haley Dover notes, “Three UNL Film Studies majors have been selected to be student interns at the 2014 Cannes International Film Festival in France this spring. One student also will screen one of her short films during the event. Aliza Brugger, Collin Baker and Emily Frandsen will serve as student interns at the film festival, which runs May 11-26. The program provides experience to students interested in film, culinary arts and hospitality/event management. The trio will join UNL theatre major Taylar Morrissey, who also was selected as a Cannes intern.

‘This is really a wonderful way for our students to get some hands-on experience in the film industry,’ said Kelly Payne, undergraduate advisor in UNL’s Department of English.’The program pulls in a lot of students who are interested in directing, producing, writing screen plays and so on.’ Following two days of orientation, Cannes interns are given service jobs in the American Pavilion – a membership-based communications and hospitality center for journalists, publicists, celebrities, filmmakers and motion picture executives working at the festival.

‘I expect to do the normal intern routine of serving food, getting water, and so on, but I’m looking forward to meeting people who are actually in the film industry – directors, writers, actors (who) can give me insights on how I can get a job later after graduating,’ said Baker, a senior. This is the second year that Mike Bremer, the director of student programs with the American Pavilion, has sought out UNL students for the internship program.

‘When Kelly Payne was first contacted by Mike last October, we immediately told our students in Film Studies about the program,’ said Wheeler Winston Dixon, Ryan Professor of Film Studies and coordinator of UNL’s program. This is the first year that the Film Studies program has had students participating in Cannes. In addition to her duties with the Pavilion, Brugger, a junior at UNL, will be showing one of her short films.

‘This is a killer opportunity considering that some of the people who may view it could have a significant impact on my career,’ Brugger said. ‘I have one film already completed, but by the film festival I should have two or three from which I can choose.’ The Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes includes 10 short films selected by a panel of industry judges and shown in The American Pavilion. Winning films are promoted through social media, news releases and throughout the festival.

This will be the second year in France for Frandsen. The public relations and film studies double major was an intern at the 2013 festival as just a PR major. This year, she said she will have more of an opportunity to work closely with The Roundtable Series – a chance for students to have small group discussions with noted personalities from both the creative and business side of the film industry, Payne said. Past participants in the Roundtable Series have included Tim Roth, Jude Law and Michael Moore.

Last year, Frandsen attended the screening of Alexander Payne’s film Nebraska, which is now in U.S. theaters — a watershed moment that brought together her Nebraska background and Frandsen’s love of film, Kelly Payne said. “This is a life-changing experience and hopefully our students will be able to come back and report on all of the meetings they had, films they could see and be inspired by the electric energy that happens at a film festival of Cannes stature,” she said.

About the Author

Wheeler Winston Dixon, Ryan Professor of Film Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is an internationally recognized scholar and writer of film history, theory and criticism. He is the author of thirty books and more than 100 articles on film, and appears regularly in national media outlets discussing film and culture trends. Frame by Frame is a collection of his thoughts on a number of those topics. All comments by Dixon on this blog are his own opinions.

In The National News

Wheeler Winston Dixon has been quoted by Fast Company, The New Yorker, The New York Times, the BBC, CNN, The Christian Science Monitor, US News and World Report, The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, The PBS Newshour, USA Today and other national media outlets on digital cinema, film and related topics - see the UNL newsroom at http://news.unl.edu/news-releases/1/ for more details.

UNL Film Studies Professor Wheeler Winston Dixon discusses the 2015 Ridley Scott film "The Martian," and the accuracy (and often inaccuracy) of science-fiction films at predicting real advancements in science and technology. […]